Author Archives: Nick Kelly

‘Revellers’ at Electric Picnic in 2015

This afternoon.

Via RTÉ

Laois County Council has said it cannot legally revisit its previous refusal of an event licence for Electric Picnic 2021 and that statutory timelines would not allow for the processing of a new application in time for the original date.

….MCD’s Caroline Downey said that in light of ‘Dr Holohan’s remarks remarks and those made by Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly, the promoters have re-applied to Laois County Council to run the event.

She said if successful, and unlike Croke Park last weekend, organisers would only allow people to work or attend the festival if they are fully-vaccinated, using a Covid certificate to confirm this.

Laois council says it can’t revisit Electric Picnic licence refusal (RTÉ)

Earlier…

This afternoon.

Andy Pipkin writes:

The Government has no plans to introduce new laws or regulations that would allow large outdoor events to take place for people who are fully vaccinated or immune from Covid-19.
Digital covid certificates that are currently being used by people to access indoor dining on the basis they are fully vaccinated or immune having had the disease in the last six months could not legally be used to restrict access to outdoor events, the Government has clarified.

Earlier…

Last night/this morning.

Via RTE:

The scenes of large crowds at Croke Park has led to representatives from the entertainment industry to question why similar events cannot be held with similar crowds for their sector.

Mr Donnelly said the entertainment industry has had a “really brutal time”, adding the Government wants to see it reopen safely and not have to close down again.

Asked if an event such as Electric Picnic could go ahead, he said he did not want to comment about individual events.

“The questions being raised by the entertainment sector are very reasonable … there should be more pilots to scale up these events,” the minister said.

Changes to All-Ireland spectator rules ‘unlikely’ – Donnelly (RTE)

RollingNews

Meanwhile…

‘For now, the practicalities of returning to some kind of normal remain unclear. Officials sensibly advised people to be cautious in their mixing given the high levels of disease circulating at present, but their advice about congregation was at times confusing.

Dr Holohan effectively said he was happy for vaccinated people to attend events such as the All-Ireland final or Electric Picnic and for the unvaccinated to be kept out.

At the same briefing, his Nphet colleague and university lecturer Prof Philip Nolan was firm in ruling out the exclusion of unvaccinated students from third-level lectures. It wasn’t just that he disagreed with it; he felt it would serve little use.’

It’s all about when – not if – Covid restrictions will be lifted (Irish Times)

Free Tomorrow?

Brian McMahon, of Brand New Retro tweetz:

Our Dublin’s Discos 1965-1980 exhibition launches this Thursday at The Other Hand/The Circular. An ‘open gallery’ will take place between 5-7pm where you are very welcome to come and view the exhibition.

Please wear a mask and respect social distancing during the open exhibition. The Circular team will be keeping an eye on capacity at the door & will have the ventilation on full blast! If you would like to stay for a drink.

Bookings here

Last night.

Meanwhile…

This morning.

Charlie Watts: Jagger and Richards pay tribute to Rolling Stones bandmate (BBC)

John Blek – Cormorant

And your bird can sing.

Prolific Cork songsmith John Blek (top) enchants with the latest single from his new album On Ether & Air, due next month.

The song features guitarist Kris Drever from the Scottish band Lau.

John writes:

“Chance encounters and some fortunate timing led to me being able to work with some of my favourite musicians. Getting people with such unique playing styles involved went a long way in defining the sound of On Ether & Air and creating an album of which I am immensely proud.”

The evocative vintage-style video for ‘Cormorant’ was filmed and directed by Blek himself using Super 8mm footage he filmed around the Port of Cork and his own garden, which was then edited and projected onto the faces of John and his wife Ciara.

You can catch John live at: 10th September, The American Bar, Belfast; Fri 8th October, Cleere’s Theatre, Kilkenny; Sun 10th Oct, Spirit Store, Dundalk; Sat 16th Oct, Triskel Arts Centre, Cork; Sun 17th Oct, Workman’s Club, Dublin; and Sat 23rd October, The Black Gate, Galway.

Nick says: One day I’m going to soar.

John Blek

Denied!

Never mind. The Clonakilty International Guitar Festival returns this September 10–19 for its 17th iteration.

Louise Barker writes:

For 10 days, the festival promises to do what they always do: celebrate the virtuosos, the three-chord heroes, the freak-out noiseniks and the bedroom noodlers. Joined by some of Ireland’s most exciting and innovative independent musicians, the festival will stage outdoor performances, virtual premieres and hybrid gigs (livestreamed with audience).

The programme welcomes John Spillane, John Francis Flynn, Windings, Dani Larkin, Clare Sands, Pretty Happy, Kyle Macaulay & Nicole Ní Dhubhshláine, Red Sun Alert and many, many more; and virtual premieres of work from Eve Clague, Joshua Burnside & Laura Quirke, Lonely and the Moose, Myles O’Reilly.

Clonakilty Guitar festival 2021

 

Carrie Baxter – Something In The Water

Yoga mat blues.

London-based, Waterford-born singer Carrie Baxter (top) offers a new look at old habits on the new single from her forthcoming EP What Now, due October 22.

Carrie says:

“This song is very much written in retrospect. I wrote this song both from my own personal experience and from situations I have witnessed. There was a point in my life I thought perhaps meditation and yoga sessions would save me and outweigh the awful things I was doing to my body – but I was young and naive and failed to recognise that the real practice is out in your life, not on a mat! Thank heavens I am wiser than the situations in this song now.”

Nick says: Here comes the sun salutation.

Carrie Baxter